Tape cassette for cleaning VCR heads and transport components

Abstract

A cassette having a leader and recordable tape which cleans the various components of the tape path in videocassette recorders by dry scrubbing. Interactive diagnostic and instructional material is recorded on the tape to instruct the operator about the cleaning operation to enable the operator to evaluate progress of the head cleaning operation, and to program the maintenance protocol of head cleaning cycles relative to capstan cleaning cycles.

We claim: 
     
       1. A VCR component cleaning cassette for cleaning at least VCR heads and tape guides comprising: a videocassette housing having an opening through which tape is pulled during a play mode;   a supply reel mounted in the housing;   a takeup reel mounted in the housing;   a length of tape mounted between the supply reel and the takeup reel, wherein the tape comprises a tape portion, a leader portion, and means for connecting the tape portion to the leader portion, wherein the tape portion has a front side comprising a recordable front side scrubbing material suitable for cleaning the heads and a backside comprising a backside scrubbing material suitable for cleaning the tape guides, wherein the front side scrubbing material differs from the backside scrubbing material, and wherein the leader portion cleans the capstan; wherein the leader portion comprises scrubbing material on at least one of the front side of the tape and the backside of the tape for cleaning the capstan, and wherein the scrubbing material on the tape portion differs from the scrubbing material on the leader portion, and wherein when the cleaning cassette is inserted into the VCR the tape is capable of cleaning the heads, tape guides, and capstan with only the front side of the tape portion contacting the heads, regardless of the internal configuration of these components in the VCR.   
     
     
       2. The cleaning cassette of claim 1 wherein the connecting means comprises adhesive tape. 
     
     
       3. The cleaning cassette of claim 1 wherein the length of the leader portion is selected to be greater than the distance from the takeup reel to the capstan to permit the leader portion to contact and clean the capstan. 
     
     
       4. The cleaning cassette of claim 3 wherein the length of the leader portion is selected to be less than the distance from the takeup reel to the heads to prevent contact between the leader portion and the heads. 
     
     
       5. The cleaning cassette of claim 1 further comprising a clamp which secures the end of the leader portion to the takeup reel, wherein the clamp has a higher tape tension threshold than the connecting means to cause any excessive tension that is applied to the tape to break the tape at the connecting means to prevent the leader portion from being dragged intact across the heads. 
     
     
       6. The cleaning cassette of claim 1 wherein the leader portion is sufficiently wider than the tape portion to clean an area of the capstan that extends beyond each edge of the tape portion without significantly increasing the tape tension threshold of the clamp. 
     
     
       7. The cleaning cassette of claim 1 further comprising means for disabling an end-of-tape detector in the VCR to cause the capstan to continue to rotate against the leader portion which is stationary after the leader portion is completely unwound, thereby to rotate the capstan against the scrubbing material on the leader portion to clean the capstan. 
     
     
       8. The cleaning cassette of claim 7 wherein the capstan is cleaned by operating the cleaning cassette in a reverse mode. 
     
     
       9. The cleaning cassette of claim 1 wherein the heads are cleaned by operating the cleaning cassette in a play mode. 
     
     
       10. The cleaning cassette of claim 1 wherein the magnetic material on the front side of the tape portion is prerecorded with audio sounds and video images which, when the cleaning cassette is inserted into the VCR, convey instructions to an operator for using the cleaning cassette, and wherein a first set of instructions is repeated serially in segments and after the last repeated segment having a first set of instructions a second set of instructions is conveyed. 
     
     
       11. The cleaning cassette of claim 10 wherein the second set of instructions directs the cleaning of the capstan. 
     
     
       12. The cleaning cassette of claim 10 wherein the first set of instructions is repeated serially without any intervening segments. 
     
     
       13. The cleaning cassette of claim 1 further comprising a light colored pigment incorporated into the backside layer of the tape to make visible any contaminant collected by the backside surface. 
     
     
       14. The cleaning cassette of claim 13 wherein the pigment comprises titanium dioxide. 
     
     
       15. The cleaning cassette of claim 1 wherein the degree of abrasiveness of the scrubbing material on the tape portion is less than the degree of abrasiveness of the scrubbing material on the leader portion. 
     
     
       16. The cleaning cassette of claim 1 wherein the scrubbing material on the front side of the tape portion, the scrubbing material on the back side of the tape portion, and the scrubbing material on the leader portion comprises different abrasives. 
     
     
       17. A method of cleaning VCR heads and tape guides regardless of the internal configuration of these components in the VCR comprising: running a length of tape, which has a front side comprising a recordable front side scrubbing material suitable for cleaning the heads and magnetic material and a backside comprising a backside scrubbing material suitable for cleaning the tape guides wherein the scrubbing material on the front side of the tape differs from the scrubbing material on the back side of the tape, through the VCR to clean the heads and tape guides and simultaneously to play audio sounds and video images.   
     
     
       18. The method of claim 17 further comprising causing the capstan to continue to rotate against the tape which is stationary after the tape is completely unwound, thereby to rotate the capstan against the tape to clean the capstan. 
     
     
       19. The method of claim 18 wherein the audio sounds and video images convey at least one of instructions to an operator for using the cleaning cassette, a diagnostic video image in which the image quality is a measure of the head cleanliness, and information about the function of the cleaning cassette.